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Famous People

In this section, we shed light on some of the most famous and infamous people known throughout history, from powerful pharaohs, to emperors and empresses, acclaimed military leaders, or just regular civilians who’ve been thrown into the spotlight for great crimes or for heroic actions, leaving an indelible mark on the world.

No Average Artists: Who Was Deemed Good Enough to Create Sculptures of Alexander the Great?
24 March, 2017 - 00:51 Natalia Klimczak

No Average Artists: Who Was Deemed Good Enough to Create Sculptures of Alexander the Great?

If Alexander the Great was alive now, he would probably be the most often photographed leader in the world. However, in his time, photography didn't exist. During the 4th century BC, a remarkable...
Shennong: The God-King of Chinese Medicine and Agriculture
22 March, 2017 - 01:00 Caleb Strom

Shennong: The God-King of Chinese Medicine and Agriculture

Shennong, which means “God farmer” or “God peasant”, is a deity in Chinese religion. He is a mythical sage healer and ruler of prehistoric China. Shennong is also known as Wugushen “five grains,” or...
The Chariot race. Cynisca was a Spartan princess and the first women to win the chariot race in the ancient Olympic Games.
19 March, 2017 - 00:50 Natalia Klimczak

How Did She Do It? Cynisca, a Spartan Princess Who Won the Ancient Olympic Games

Since the beginning of time, women have liked to surprise men with their extraordinary power, strength, and skills. Few are shocked by female success in these areas nowadays, but in ancient times...
Alfred the Great. (19th century).
18 March, 2017 - 22:13 ancient-origins

Was Alfred the Great Just a King that was Great at Propaganda?

Stuart Brookes / The Conversation The Last Kingdom – BBC’s historical drama set in the time of Alfred the Great’s war with the Vikings – has returned to our screens for a second series. While most...
France and England Didn’t Own Chivalry: Have You Heard of the Polish Knight Zawisza Czarny?
18 March, 2017 - 00:54 Kerry Sullivan

France and England Didn’t Own Chivalry: Have You Heard of the Polish Knight Zawisza Czarny?

Due to the popularity of the King Arthur legends, knights and chivalry are often associated with England and France. Yet one of the knights that best embodied knightly virtue is a Polish man named...
Huns in battle with the Alans, 1870s engraving after a drawing by Johann Nepomuk Geiger (1805-1880)
14 March, 2017 - 17:54 Kerry Sullivan

Merciless Marauders or Fearsome Fighters? The Terror Tactics of the Huns

Ruthless and unpredictable, few armies have been as terrifying as the Huns. Descending on a town like a whirlwind from hell, the savage horsemen killed indiscriminately – combatants and civilians,...
A Mother-Daughter Power Team: How Did Two Faustinas Transform Roman Society?
13 March, 2017 - 02:57 Natalia Klimczak

A Mother-Daughter Power Team: How Did Two Faustinas Transform Roman Society?

If you think that girl power is a modern idea from songs created in the 90s, you should read the story of a mother and daughter whose bright minds and dose of independence had a remarkable impact on...
Osterby Man Still Has a Great Hairdo Nearly 2,000 Years On!
9 March, 2017 - 23:01 Caleb Strom

Osterby Man Still Has a Great Hairdo Nearly 2,000 Years On!

Since at least the 18th century AD, there have been discoveries in northwestern continental Europe and Britain of “bog bodies” - human remains which have been preserved in the anoxic environment of...
A 700-Year-Old Murder Mystery: Who Bludgeoned the Bocksten Man to Death and Why?
7 March, 2017 - 13:59 dhwty

A 700-Year-Old Murder Mystery: Who Bludgeoned the Bocksten Man to Death and Why?

Around 700 years ago, a young man, who has come to be known as ‘Bocksten Man’, was struck three times on the head, then tossed into a peat bog and impaled with three wooden poles to prevent his body...
Pocahontas, after 1616, Oil on canvas by Unidentified Artist.
1 March, 2017 - 18:54 Kerry Sullivan

Pocahontas Shrouded in Myth: A Princess Goes to England

As Ancient Origins reported in its article “ The True Story of Pocahontas as Not Told by Disney ,” the real life Pocahontas was different from her portrayal in the 1995 animated feature film. However...
Photo by Leo Von Klenze. A romantic idealized reconstruction of the Acropolis of Athens.
28 February, 2017 - 14:01 Theodoros Karasavvas

Cleisthenes, Father of Democracy, Invented a Form of Government that Has Endured for Over 2,500 Years

Ancient Athens is best remembered for giving birth to the first democracy in history, a course of action that took many years and several leaders to develop. One of the most prominent figures of that...
Detail of ‘Velleda’, as imagined in a 19th-century painting by Charles Voillemot.
27 February, 2017 - 02:04 Natalia Klimczak

The Legendary Prophetess Veleda: A Secret Weapon Against the Romans

Legends about beautiful women who drove armies of men to glory are very familiar in history. In the case of Veleda, her story didn't end with the loss of her people, but withstood the passage of time...
Eliminating the Competition: Selim I, A Grim Conqueror Who Vastly Extended the Ottoman Empire
23 February, 2017 - 01:48 dhwty

Eliminating the Competition: Selim I, A Grim Conqueror Who Vastly Extended the Ottoman Empire

Selim I (known also by his epithet ‘Yavuz’, which, translated from Turkish, means ‘the Grim’) was the 9th sultan of the Ottoman Empire who lived during the second half of the 15th century and the...
Emperor Caligula Brought an End to the Illustrious Ptolemies, But Why?
22 February, 2017 - 13:56 Natalia Klimczak

Emperor Caligula Brought an End to the Illustrious Ptolemies, But Why?

When Cleopatra VII and Mark Anthony closed their eyes for the last time, passing through to their longed-for afterlife, among the successors were their three orphans: Alexander Helios, Cleopatra...
The Forgotten Cleopatra: Searching for Cleopatra the Alchemist and Her Golden Secret
21 February, 2017 - 18:50 Natalia Klimczak

The Forgotten Cleopatra: Searching for Cleopatra the Alchemist and Her Golden Secret

Cleopatra was one of four female alchemists who worked on producing the famous Philosopher's stone. She lived during the last remarkable period in Alexandria’s history, when it was still a city of...
Earthquake in Ecuador Reveals Bizarre Burial of a Mummy in a Jar with a Little Mouse
20 February, 2017 - 14:04 ancient-origins

Earthquake in Ecuador Reveals Bizarre Burial of a Mummy in a Jar with a Little Mouse

On August 5, 1949, an earthquake struck the small town of Guano in Ecuador, causing buildings to crack open and crumble. The disaster led to the strange discovery of the Mummy of Guano. During the...
Cornelia, Mother of the Gracchi (1785) by Angelica Kauffman.
19 February, 2017 - 01:59 Natalia Klimczak

Who was Cornelia Africana and How Did She Become the Prototype of the Virtuous Roman Woman?

The life of Cornelia Africana could be the basis for a fascinating Hollywood super-production. Since the beginning, her tale was nothing but an adventurous story about a woman whose extraordinary...
Phryne, The Ancient Greek Prostitute Who Flashed Her Way to Freedom
18 February, 2017 - 13:58 Theodoros Karasavvas

Phryne, The Ancient Greek Prostitute Who Flashed Her Way to Freedom

Phryne the Thespian was a famed courtesan of Athens, better known for the court case she won by baring her breasts. Her actual name was Mnesarete but people referred to her as Phryne (“toad”) because...
Who Was St Dwynwen and How is She Associated with St Valentine?
11 February, 2017 - 21:52 ancient-origins

Who Was St Dwynwen and How is She Associated with St Valentine?

Dylan Foster Evans / The Conversation February 14 is the day marked for lovers in many countries around the world, but in Wales there is another date traditionally associated with romance: St Dwynwen...
Women Without Virtue Need Not Apply! The Medieval Nine Worthy Women
11 February, 2017 - 14:02 Caleb Strom

Women Without Virtue Need Not Apply! The Medieval Nine Worthy Women

In the 14th century, the nine worthies were a list of nine men who were identified as paragons of chivalrous behavior, which included courage and honor in battle. The nine worthies consisted of a...
Was it Love or Witchcraft? The Magical Practices of Chinese Empress Chen Jiao
10 February, 2017 - 13:27 Natalia Klimczak

Was it Love or Witchcraft? The Magical Practices of Chinese Empress Chen Jiao

Usually, the Empress of the Han Dynasty was invincible, untouchable, and protected by the law more than anyone else. However, in the case of Empress Chen of Wu, the accusation of practicing black...
‘Blenda’ by August Malmstrom.
4 February, 2017 - 22:50 dhwty

Blenda: The Cunning and Courageous Swedish Woman Who Defeated the Danish Army

Blenda is a heroine found in Swedish myths and legends. It is unclear as to exactly when she lived, but according to the legends, her heroic deeds took place during the time when Alle was the King of...
Drawing of Balearic Slinger and Castelo Branco - Jardim do Paco
3 February, 2017 - 23:27 tom hamilton

A History of Hamilcar: Akre Leuca, Dream City of Hamilcar Barca– Part II

Like ancient Carthage, Akre Leuca was not only a military center but also a culturally-advanced city in its time. There was no other city like it. If evidence in the urban structure of Castelo Branco...
Giordano Bruno: What Led The Renowned Friar and Astrologer to a Burning Stake?
3 February, 2017 - 02:03 Natalia Klimczak

Giordano Bruno: What Led The Renowned Friar and Astrologer to a Burning Stake?

A monumental statue of Giordano Bruno stands in the heart of Rome as a reminder of the remorse of the people who accused him and sentenced him to death. Although he may look like a monk dressed in a...

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